Metal working apparatus

ABSTRACT

A press for metal working of cylindrically shaped metal ingots or billets. The press comprises a longitudinally extending hollow tubular member in which a pair of cylinder end members are supported. The two cylinder end members divide the interior of the tubular member into a cylinder portion therebetween and a working portion. A mandrel, aligned with the axis of the tubular member, is provided in the working portion of the tubular member and is connected to a piston provided in the cylinder portion. A die means having a billet chamber and a longitudinal passage therethrough to permit passage of the mandrel into and through the billet chamber is supported in the working portion of the tubular member so as to have the axis of the billet chamber and the longitudinal passage aligned with the axis of the tubular member. Supply means are provided for supplying fluid to the cylinder portion of the tubular member to drive the piston longitudinally between the two cylinder end members and accordingly the mandrel to perform the metal working on the billet.

United States Patent [191 Garner et al.

[ Dec. 3, 1974 METAL WORKING APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Kenneth BishopGarner, Tulsa,

Okla; Lewis Shepherd Roberson, Chattanooga, Tenn.

[73] Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.,

Windsor, Conn.

[22] Filed: July 23, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 381,833

[52] U.S. Cl. 72/256, 72/267 [51] Int. Cl. B21c 23/00 [58] Field ofSearch 72/325, 256, 266, 267

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,408,846 11/1968 Schofield..7Z/256 Primary Examiner-C. W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-Robert M.Rogers Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John R. Nelson [57] ABSTRACT A press formetal working of cylindrically shaped metal ingots or billets. The presscomprises a longitudinally extending hollow tubular member in which apair of cylinder end members are supported. The two cylinder end membersdivide the interior of the tubular member into a cylinder portiontherebetween and a working portion. A mandrel, aligned with the axis ofthe tubular member, is provided in the working portion of the tubularmember and is connected to a piston provided in the cylinder portion. Adie means having a billet chamber and a longitudinal passagetherethrough to permit passage of the mandrel into and through thebillet chamber is supported in the working portion of the tubular memberso as to have the axis of the billet chamber and the longitudinalpassage aligned with the axis of the tubular member. Supply means areprovided for supplying fluid to the cylinder portion of the tubularmember to drive the piston longitudinally between the two cylinder endmembers and accordingly the mandrel to perform the metal working on thebillet.

8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures mlz will l METAL WORKING APPARATUSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the art ofmetal working and more particularly to an apparatus for metal working ofmetal ingots. Further still the invention concerns an apparatus forpiercing and/or extruding a cylindrical metal ingot.

In one method of making a high quality alloy seamless tube, the firststep is to pierce a hole in a relatively short, thick solid circularcylinder called a billet. Normally this is done after heating the billetto 2,000F or more. During this piercing process in which a mandrel isforced through the heated billet, the billet will lengthen to form whatis known as a tube hollow or simply a hollow. As can be appreciated, oneof the critical factors in piercing is to maintain the concentricity ofthe pierced hole throughout the billet length. This hot working of thebillet is necessary to give the billet sufficient refinement to permitthe tube hollow to be cold worked to form the final seamless tube. Insome instances, depending on the billet constituents and the final tubegeometry, it is necessary to further hot work the pierced billet. Insuch situations, the tube hollow can be extruded after piercing in asecond operation. Extrusion consists of forcing the heated hollowthrough a restriction while controlling the internal hole size by amandrel, thereby lengthening the hollow.

Conventional mechanical and hydraulic presses for piercing and extrudingusually have two spaced platens which move toward one another duringoperation. One of the platens has a billet container positioned thereonin alignment with a mandrel fixed to the other platen. A billet isplaced within the container between the two platens and the two platensare moved toward one another to perform the metal working of the billet.As can be appreciated, in order to obtain a high quality pierced and/orextruded billet, the mandrel must be coaxial with the billet containerand the mandrel must also move in a straight line toward the center ofthe container. Elaborate devices have been designed for aligning andguiding the mandrel and billet container during this operation. However,these devices are very expensive and have not always proven to besuccessful in producing concentrically pierced and extruded billets.

Furthermore, the loading of the billet between the two platens in aconventional press leads to other problems. First, assuming that themandrel is attached to the upper platen as is normally the case, theupper platen must be withdrawn high enough that the mandrel does notobstruct loading of the billet into the billet container. This longerstroke requirement increases equipment cost and may detract fromconcentricity. Secondly, the upper platen limits the mechanical meanswhich are available for lifting of a hot billet into the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, there is provided a novelapparatus for metal working of cylindrically shaped ingots. Theapparatus comprises a longitudinally extending hollow tubular member inwhich a pair of axially spaced cylinder end members are transverselysupported. The two cylinder end members divide the interior of thetubular member into a cylinder portion located between the two endmembers and a working portion. A piston is provided in the cylinderportion for longitudinal movement between the two end members. Alongitudinally extending working mandrel, having at least a portion ofits longitudinal length disposed in the working portion, is aligned withthe longitudinal axis of the tubular member and is connected to thepiston for movement therewith. A die means, having a longitudinallyextending billet chamber and a longitudinal passage therethrough topermit passage of the working mandrel into and through the billetchamber, is supported in the working portion of the tubular member sothat its axis is aligned with the axis ofa tubular member. Supply meansis provided for supplying fluid to the cylinder portion to move thepiston longitudinally therewithin and accordingly to move the mandrel toperform the metal working on the cylindrically shaped ingot.

The use of a single multi-purpose tubular member which serves themultiple purposes of being the main body of the press, the hydrauliccylinder which motivates the operation, the means of retaining andaccurately aligning the billet container with the piston rod and themandrel, and the structural member which contains large forces andreactions between the members is largely responsible for achieving aneconomical metal working apparatus and for achieving excellent alignmentof the components. This is an essential condition for producingconcentric holes in metal billets. Furthermore, the axis of the billetis vertical rather than horizontal. This keeps the weight of thebillet,the container, the piston rod, and the piercing mandrel fromcontributing directly to the eccentricity as might otherwise occur witha horizontal press. It also lessens the indirect effects such as thebilletss tendency to lay in one side of the container and be cooledasymmetrically. Further still the press is axisymmetrical in designwhich minimizes the asymmetrical temperatures and asymmetrical strainsas possible causes of eccentricity. Still further the press permitsunobstructed billet leading of the container at the opposite end fromthe mandrel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

FIG. 1 is an elevation view in section of a metal working pressaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view partially in section taken along line2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view similar to the upper portion of FIG. 1showing how a pierced billet may be extracted from the metal workingpress.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view similar to the upper portion of FIG. 2showing how a billet may be forcibly inserted into the metal workingpress.

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken along line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an elevation view in section showing an alternativearrangement for the billet chamber end member of the press.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, FIGS.1 and 2 show a metal working press for metal working of a short, thickgenerally circular cylinder 14 called a billet. The billet 14 isnormally heated to about 2000F or more in order that it may be hotworked thereby giving it more ductility. The increased ductility willallow the hot worked billet to then be cold worked into high qualityseamless tubing. In particular, the press 10 is a piercing and/orextrusion press although it may easily be modified to perform othertypes of metal working operations. In the preferred embodiment the press10 is vertically mounted and supported on and by a base 12.

The press 10 is comprised of an elongated multipurpose hollow tubularmember 16. Upper and lower cylinder end members 22 and 24 are supportedwithin the interior of the tubular member 16 to divide the interior intoa cylinder portion 18 defined between the two members 22 and 24 and aworking portion 20 defined by the remainder of the interior of thetubular member 16. The cylinder portion 18 forms the hydraulic cylinderof the press 10 which motivates the metal working operation. Each of thetwo end members 22 and 24 are supported by means of two diametricallyopposed, bolt stabilized transverse keys or bars 26. The bars 26 aredisposed in diametrically opposed openings in the side wall of thetubular member 16 adjacent the desired elevations of the end members 22,24. The openings are each of a rectangular configuration in order that aportion of each bar 26 extends into the working portion 20 of thetubular member 16 to overlay a portion of one of the cylinder endmembers 22 or 24. The interior lying portion of each of the bars 26 isbolted by bolts 30 to the cylinder end member 22 and 24. Outside of thetubular member 16, the two bars 26 adjacent each elevation of thecylinder end members are bolted to each other by bolts 28 to stabilizeand retain the bars 26 within the openings in the side wall of thetubular member 16. This provides an economical means for positioning thetwo end closures 22, 24 of the hydraulic cylinder 18 in the tubularmember 16 and for transferring the load imposed thereon to the tubularmember 16 without interrupting its basic continuity.

A piston 32 whose outside diameter is substantially equal to the insidediameter of the tubular member 16 is provided in the cylinder portion 18for longitudinal movement between the two cylinder end members 22 and24. Piston sealing means 34, such as for example leather chevron packingseals, are positioned in recesses in the outer cylindrical surface ofpiston 32 and are held there in place by seal hold rings 36. One end ofa piston rod 38 passes through a central bore in the piston 32 and sealhold rings 36 and is connected thereto by means of a nut 40 which forcesthe piston 32 and seal hold rings 36 against the shoulder 41 on pistonrod 38. This arrangement further serves to maintain a properrelationship between the piston 32 and seal hold rings 36. The other endof the piston rod 38 extends longitudinally upward through a centralbore in the upper end member 22 into the working portion 20 of thetubular member 16. Upper cylinder end member seals 42, which again maybe leather chevron packing seals, are provided in the bore of the upperend member 22 to seal the cylinder portion 18 from the working portion20. A seal retaining ring 44 is provided and retained in place betweenthe upper end member 22 and the interior lying portion of the transversebars 26 dry bolts 30.

If desired, a pliable washer (not shown) may be provided between theretaining ring 42 and the bars 26 for keeping debris free from thepiston rod 38 as it moves longitudinally through the cylinder end member22.

Fluid lines 46 and 48 are coupled or clamped respectively to fluidconnectors 50 and 52 for supplying actuating fluid to the cylinder 18 todrive the piston 32 longitudinally between end members 22 and 24.Actuating fluid is supplied, in a well-known manner, from a fluid sourceand control mechanism (not shown) to which the other end of lines 46 and48 are connected. Upper fluid connector 50 is bolted to the sidewall ofthe tubular member 16 and communicates with side port 54 in the upperend member 22. Side port 54 in turn communicates with cylinder portion18 above the piston 32 through longitudinal port 56 and annular opening58. Similar side and longitudinal ports 55, 57 are provided in the endmember 22 diametrically opposite to the ports 54, 56 are for insuring aminimum fluid communication to the cylinder portion 18 when the annularopening 58 is closed as described hereinbelow. Lower fluid connector 52is bolted to the lower cylinder end member 24 and communicates with thecylinder portion 18 below piston 32 through central bore 60 in the lowerend member 24. Pressure relief opening 66 to which fluid lines 67 arecoupled are provided near the upper and lower end members 22 and 24 inorder to limit and control the buildup of fluid pressure in the cylinderportion 18 when the piston moves toward either one of the upper or lowerend members. A tapered ring 62 is attached to the piston rod 38 betweena shoulder 64 on the piston rod 38 and the upper seal hold ring 36. Thetapered ring 62 acts as a cushion or decelerator to slow the upwardmovement of the piston 32 by gradually closing off the fluid passagethrough annular opening 58 as the piston is moved upward. The lowertapered end 68 of the piston rod 38 provides a similar cushioning ordecelerating effect as it enters the enlarged portion 69 of the centralbore 60 in the lower end member 24 when the piston 32 is moved downward.

A longitudinal extending working mandrel 70, aligned with thelongitudinal axis of the tubular member 16, is attached to the upper endof the piston rod 38. In the preferred embodiment a collet chuck is usedfor this purpose which comprises a base member 74 fixed in a centralbore 72 in the piston rod 38 and having an upper annular taperedportion, an upper plate member 76 having a lower annular taperedportion, and a segmented ring member 78 having complimentary upper andlower tapered portions engageable with the tapered portions of the basemember 74 and the plate member 76. The plate member 76, through whichthe lower end of the mandrel extends into the central bore of the pistonrod 38 is bolted to the piston rod 38 to bias the segmented ring 78inwardly to center and frictionally hold the lower end of the mandrel70. It should be noted that the use of a collet chuck is not the onlymeans for attaching and aligning the lower end of the mandrel 70 withthe piston rod 38. Other alternatives may include threading or weldingof mandrel 70 to the end of piston rod 38. The other end of the mandrel70 is provided with a removable working tip 80 for performing thedesired working operation on the billet 14. In FIGS. 1 and 2 thisworking tip is a piercing tip 80. The piercing tip 80 may be removed andreplaced, for example, with an extraction plug 81 (see FIG. 5) or anextrusion tip depending upon the desired operation for the press 10.

An upper die means 84 for the billet 14 is positioned in the upper endof the working portion 20 of the tubular member 16. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the upper die means 84 comprises a billetcontainer 86 having a billet chamber 108, a billet centering plate 88,and a chamber end member 90. These three components 86, 88 and 90 aresupported within the tubular member 16 by means of a breech lockarrangement which in turn is supported by the tubular member 16 in amanner similar to the support of the cylinder end member transverse keys26. Breech lock keys or bars 92, each of which has an inner lateralportion having a series of convolutions 94 formed on the longitudinalsurface thereof, are disposed in diametrically opposed openings in thesidewall of the tubular member 16 such that the inner lateral portionslie within the working portion 20 of the tubular member 16 and arediametrically opposed to one another. The bars 92 are retainedthereinplace by cross bolts 28 which pass outwardly of the tubularmember 16. Complimentary convolutions 96 are provided on oppositeportions of the longitudinal surface of the die means 84, in particularon opposite portions of the billet container 86 and the chamber endmember 90, for engagement with the convolutions 94 of the breech lockkeys 92 to support and retain the die means 84 in the working portion 20of the tubular member 16. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the convolutions 94,96 are preferably tapered to make them stronger at the base of thelongitudinal surfaces where the shear forces are the greatest.

The longitudinal extending billet container 86 has a central boretherethrough which defines the billet chamber 108 in which the billet 14is placed. Upper and lower centering rings 98, 100 are attached to theouter surface of the billet container 86 adjacent the upper and lowerends respectively thereof to align the billet chamber 108 with thelongitudinal axis of a tubular member 16. The lower centering ring 100,which is bolted to the bottom of the container 86, has a lower mandrelcentering plate 102 bolted thereto for centering and aligning themandrel 70 as it passes therethrough into the billet chamber 108. Thetapered entrance 104 of the centering plate 102 serves to guide themandrel 70 into this alignment at the lower end of the billet chamber108.

The chamber end member 90 forms the upper end closure for the billetchamber 108 and sustains the reaction of the billet as it is worked bythe mandrel 70. The billet centering plate 88 is bolted to the bottom ofthe chamber end member 90 so as to have its central opening 106 alignedwith the billet chamber 108 when the chamber end member 90 is locked inplace by the breech lock keys 92. The billet centering member 88 isprovided with a tapered entrance 107 to the opening 106 which serves toinitially align the billet 14 in the billet chamber 108, as describedherein below. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chamber end member 90has a central bore therethrough in alignment with the central opening106 in the billet centering member 88 to allow for passage of themandrel 70 therethrough on its upward stroke during a piercing metalworking operation. The upper end of the chamber end member 90 has atubular extension member 112 bolted thereto to which a handle 114 isattached for rotating the chamber end member 90 relative to the breechlock keys 92 in order to facilitate removal from the breech lockarrangement. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the necessary rotation forremoval of a chamber end member 90 (and accordingly the billet centeringplate 88) is approximately 90.

The operation of the press 10 for a piercing operation is as follows.The chamber end member 90 with attached billet centering plate 88 isremoved from the breech lock arrangement and a heated billet 14 isinserted into the chamber 108. The billet preferably has a centralizedrecess 116 in the lower surface thereof (see for example FIG. 6 althoughthis FIG. shows a billet 14 being forcibly inserted into the chamber108) which is aligned with the billet axis and into which will fit thepiercing tip 80 of the mandrel 70. This will center the lower end of thebillet 14 in the billet chamber 108. Also the billet 14 is preferably ofsuch a size that it loosely fits into the billet chamber 108 so that onthe first upward action of the mandrel 70, it will force the billet intothe tapered entrance 107 of the billet centering plate 88 to center theupper end of the billet 14 in the chamber 108. This use of centralizedrecess 116 and tapering entrance 107 improves the symmetry andconcentricity of the resulting pierced billet by insuring that thebillet 14 is aligned at both its upper and lower ends. After the billet14 has been inserted in the chamber 108 and the chamber end member 90locked in place, fluid is introduced through line 48 into the cylinder18 below the piston 32 in order to drive the piston upward. This causesthe mandrel to pass through the lower centering plate 102 into the lowerend of billet chamber 108 where piercing tip of the mandrel 70 engagesthecentralized recess 116 of the billet l4 and forces the billet 14upward and into alignment in the billet container 108 as describedhereinbefore. The mandrel 70 continues upward, thereby piercing thebillet 14, until the tapered ring 67 on the piston rod 38 engages theannular opening 58 in the cylinder upper end member 22 to terminate theupward movement of the piston 32. During this piercing operation, thebillet 14 will grow longitudinally and accordingly the lower end of thepierced billet 14 will move downwardly (since it is retained at the topby the chamber end member in the billet chamber 108. Additionally, asmall portion of the metal billet 14 will be forced out through thecentral opening in the billet centering plate 88 and chamber end member90 as the mandrel 70 passes therethrough to its fully extended position.After the I piercing operation has been completed, the piston 32 isretracted within the cylinder 18 of the tubular member 16 by introducingfluid to the cylinder'portion 18 through line 46.

In order to remove the pierced billet 14 or tube hollow from the billetchamber 108, the chamber end member 90 is removed and an extraction plug81 (see FIG. 5) is inserted into the billet chamber 108 adjacent itslower end through opening 122 in the sidewall of member 16 and similaropening 124 in the sidewall of billet container 86. If desired thepiercing tip 80 may be removed and extraction plug 81 attached to theend of the mandrel 70, although this would not be necessary if theextraction plug 81 were provided with a centralized recess or opening inwhich the pirecing tip 80 would fit. The extraction plug 81 is sized sothat its outer diameter is substantially equal to but slightly less thanthe diameter of the billet chamber 108 so that it may movelongitudinally there within. A second stroke of the mandrel 70 will thencause the extraction plug 81 to engage the lower end of the piercedbillet 14 and force the billet upward out of the billet chamber 108.

As referred to hereinbefore, it is desirable that the heated unpiercedbillet 14 loosely fit into the billet chamber 108. However, in someinstances it may be necessary to forcibly insert the billet 14 into thechamber 108. Furthermore, in other operations it may be desirable toexert a force downwardly instead of upwardly. Accordingly, the press hasbeen provided with two diametrically opposite pull rods 128 which areremovably connected to the upper plate member 76 which attaches themandrel 70 to the piston rod 38. As can best be seen in FIGS. 2, 4, 6and 7 the pull rods 128 extend longitudinally upward through the annularspace 130 between the inner surface of tubular member 16 and the outersurface of tubular member 16 and the outer surface of billet chamber 86to above the upper end of tubular member 16. Each of the pull rods 128extends through appropriately located and sized holes 132, 134 on theupper and lower centering rings 98 and 100. Also, the pull rods 128 arepositioned on opposite sides of the chamber end member 90 between thebreech lock keys 92 so as not to interfere with the operation of thebreech lock arrangement. The pull rods 128 move with the mandrel 70 andmay extend as far above the press 10 as desired. For example, as shownin FIG. 6 and 7, the pull rods 128 are connected together above tubularmember 16 cross connecting member 136 in order to be able to forciblyinsert a billet 14 into the billet chamber 108. The cross member 136 iscoupled to the pull rods 128 by nuts 140 and is provided with a lowerextension 138 which will contact and push a billet 14 into the billetchamber 108 as the mandrel 70 is retracted. As can be appreciated, theextension 138 is necessary since the lateral dimension of thecross-connecting member 136 is larger than the inside diameter of thebillet container 86. After the billet 14 is inserted, the crossconnecting member 136 is removed by loosening the nuts 140 and thechamber end member 90 is inserted and locked between the breech lockkeys 92.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show and alternative arrangement 144 for the chamber endmember 90 to provide for combination piercing and extrusion in which thebillet 14 is first pierced and then extruded by a second stroke of aworking manual 70. The alternative chamber end member 144 is of atwo-part construction having an outer part 146 and an inner part 148.The outer part 146 acts as an extrusion die and has a central bore 150therethrough whose diameter is slightly less than the diameter of thebillet chamber 108. Also there is provided a tapered entrance 152 at thelower end of the outerpart 146 which performs the function of the billetcentering plate 88 described hereinabove with reference to FIGS. 1through 7. The inner part 148 has a lower extension 154 which fits intothe bore 150 of the outer part 146 and additionally has a central bore156 to allow passage therethrough of the working manual 70 during thepiercing operation. For the piercing operation, both parts 146 and 148are locked in place by the breeched lock arrangment as shown in FIG. 8and the billet 14 is pierced in a manner similar to that as previouslydescribed. After the mandrel 70 is retracted, only the inner part 148 isremoved such as by rotation of the tubular extension 112 attachedthereto. This leaves the outer part 146 in position. An extrusion tip(not shown) may then be attached to the mandrel and a second stroke madewhich will force the pierced billet 14 or hollow through the reduceddiameter of the bore thereby reducing or extruding the diameter of thepierced billet 14.

In order to remove the outer part 146 from the breech lock keys 92, theupper surface of the outer part 148 is provided with two dog leggedshaped longitudinal slots 158 located on diametrically opposite sides ofthe bore 150. Lateral slots 160 extend from these longitudinal slots 158in the interior of the outer part 146 to provide an upper shoulder 162.Accordingly, an appropriate shaped tool (not shown) havinglongitudinally extending legs with lateral projections extendinginwardly therefrom may be inserted in the longitudinal slots 158 androtated to rotate the outer part 146 out of engagement with the breechlock keys 92. The lateral projections would then engage the uppershoulder 162 to permit the outer part 146 to be lifted out of thetubular member 16.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a novel metalworking press10 in which a single multi-purpose tubular member 16 serves the multiplepurposes of being the main body of the press 10, the hydraulic cylinder18 which motivates the operation, the means of retaining and accuratelyaligning the billet container 86 with the mandrel 70, and the structuralmember which contains the large force and reactions between the members.Another advantage is that the press 10 minimizes possible causes ofeccentricity and improves the symmetry and concentricity of the piercedhole in the billet 14. First, the axis of the billet 14 is vertical andaccordingly prevents the weights of the billet 14, the billet container86 and the mandrel 70 from directly contributing to possibleeccentricity. This fact also lessens the indirect effects ofeccentricity such as the billet laying on one side and being cooledassymetrically Secondly, the press 10 in being axisymmetrical in designminimizes assymetrical temperatures and assymetrical strains. Finally,the billet 14 in being pierced is aligned at both its top and bottomends. A further advantage is that the billet 14 is loaded into thebillet container 86 from above out of the way of the press 10 ratherthan from beneath or between the press as in conventional arrangements.This affords for a more convenient operation of the press 10.

While these preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that they are merely illustrative andthat changes may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for metal working of a billet comprismg:

a longitudinally extending hollow tubular member;

a pair of axially spaced end members transversely supported in saidtubular member to divide the interior of said tubular member into acylinder portion located between said two end members and a workingportion;

a plurality of openings in the side wall of said tubular member adjacenteach of the longitudinal positions of said end members;

end member support bodies retained in said openings in said tubularmember, said support bodies having portions thereof extending into theinterior of said tubular member which overlie and are connected to aportion of said end members for transferring the load imposed on saidend members to said tubular member;

a piston in said cylinder portion of said tubular member, said pistonbeing longitudinally movable between said two end members;

a longitudinally extending working mandrel having its longitudinal axisaligned with the longitudinal axis of said tubular member, said mandrelbeing connected to said piston for longitudinal movement therewith, andhaving at least a portion of its longitudinal length disposed in saidworking portion of said tubular member;

a die means having a longitudinally extending billet chamber, said diemeans having a longitudinal passage therethrough to permit said workingmandrel to enter into and pass through said billet chamber to performthe metal working of the billet;

means for supporting said die means in the working portion of saidtubular member so that the axis of said billet chamber and said passageare aligned with the axis of said tubular member; and

supply means for supplying fluid to said cylinder portion for movingsaid piston longitudinally within said cylinder portion of said tubularmember.

2. Apparatus for metal working of a billet comprisa longitudinallyextending hollow tubular member;

a pair of axially spaced end members transversely supported in saidtubular member to divide the interior of said tubular member into acylinder portion located between said two end members and a workingportion;

a piston in said cylinder portion of said tubular member, said pistonbeing longitudinally movable be tween said two end members;

a longitudinally extending working mandrel having its longitudinal axisaligned with the longitudinal axis of said tubular member, said mandrelbeing connected to said piston for longitudinal movement therewith, andhaving at least a portion of its longitudinal length disposed in saidworking portion of said tubular member;

a die means, including a longitudinally extending billet chamber, achamber end member, and a billet centering member, supported in theworking portion of said tubular member, said die means having alongitudinal passage therethrough to permit said working mandrel toenter into and pass through said billet chamber to perform the metalworking of the billet, said chamber end member being positioned in saidlongitudinal passage adjacent the end of said billet chamber which isremote from the end through which said working mandrel enters and saidchamber end member being removable from said die means to allow forinsertion of the billet into said billet chamber through said end remotefrom said entry end of said working mandrel, and said billet centeringmember being positioned at the end of said chamber end member adjacentto said billet chamber for centering the billet in said billet chamberas said working mandrel performs the metal working on the billet;

means for supporting said die means in the working portion of saidtubular member so that the axis of said billet chamber and saidlongitudinal passage lltl are aligned with the axis of said tubularmember, and said supporting means comprising means for retaining saidchamber end member in position within said longitudinal passage of saiddie means, said means for retaining comprising two diametrically opposedopenings in the side wall of said tubular member adjacent thelongitudinal position of said chamber end member, a series ofconvolutions formed on laterally opposite sides of the longitudinalsurface of said chamber end member, and two support bodies retained insaid openings in said tubular member each of which has a series ofconvolutions on a portion thereof extending into the interior of saidtubular member for mating engagement with said series of convolutions onsaid chamber end member; and

supply means for supplying fluid to said cylinder portion for movingsaid piston longitudinally within said cylinder portion of said tubularmember.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said portions of said end membersupport bodies extend into said working portion of said tubular member.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said plurality of openings adjacenteach of the longitudinal positions of said end members is two, each ofsaid two openings being diametrically opposed to one another andcommunicating with said working portion of said tubular member; whereeach of said end member support bodies is a bar having a portion of itslength intermediate its two ends positioned in said openings; andwherein there is provided connecting means at each of said longitudinalpositions of, said end members, each of said connecting means connectingtogether the ends of said bars positioned in said two diametricallyopposed openings to retain said bars therein.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said working mandrel has a piercingend face for piercing the billet in said chamber and wherein saidchamber end member has a longitudinal opening therethrough aligned withthe longitudinal axis of said billet chamber, the size of the openingbeing such as to permit passage therethrough of said mandrel and toprevent passage therethrough of the billet.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said chamber end member comprises afirst outer member which has a longitudinal bore therethrough, the sizeof said bore being smaller than the size of the opening in said billetchamber; and a second inner-member which fits into the bore of saidfirst member, said second innermember having a longitudinal boretherethrough which is smaller than said bore of said first outer member,said first and second members being individually and separably removablefrom said die means.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said working mandrel is connected tosaid piston by a longitudinally extending piston rod having one endattached to said piston and having the other end extending through oneof said end members into said working portion of said tubular member,said mandrel being attached to said other end of said piston rod.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including a pair of longitudinalextending pull rods positioned in said working portion of said tubularmember between said die means and the wall of said tubular member, eachof said pull rods having one end attached to said piston rod and havingthe other end extending beyond said die means; and a cross memberremovably attached to both of said other ends of said pull rods, saidcross member being engagable with a billet to force said billet intosaid billet chamber when said chamber end member is removed and saidpiston rod is moved in a direction away from said die means.

* l I! I l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENTNO. 3, 5 5

DATED 3 December 3, 9W

|NVENTOR( I Kenneth Bishop Garner and Lewis Shepherd Roberson It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent Q are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, lines 39 and IO delete "leading" and insert --loa.ding-.

Column 3, line 32 delete "member" and insert members-.

Q Column 5, line 60 delete "l0" and insert --llO-.

Column 7, line MI delete "and" and insert an.

Column 8, lines 13 and l t delete "appropriate" and insert--appropriately-.

0 Column 10, line 26 delete "where" and insert -wherein.

Column 10, line 28 following "in" insert --one of--.

Column 10, line 57 delete "longitudinal" and insert -longitudinally--Column 3, line 66 delete "dry" and insert -by--.

Column 6, line 63 delete "pirecing" and insert --piercing--.

Column 7, line 60 delete "manual" and insert -mandrel--. G

Column 7, line 63 delete "arrangment" and insert arrangement-.

lgncd and Sealed this twentieth D21 Of A [SEAL] y p1 1:976

Arrest.

0 RUTH C.M SON C.MARSHALLDANN Anemng Officer flarenrs and Trademarks

1. Apparatus for metal working of a billet comprising: a longitudinallyextending hollow tubular member; a pair of axially spaced end memberstransversely supported in said tubular member to divide the interior ofsaid tubular member into a cylinder portion located between said two endmembers and a working portion; a plurality of openings in the side wallof said tubular member adjacent each of the longitudinal positions ofsaid end members; end member support bodies retained in said openings insaid tubular member, said support bodies having portions thereofextending into the interior of said tubular member which overlie and areconnected to a portion of said end members for transferring the loadimposed on said end members to said tubular member; a piston in saidcylinder portion of said tubular member, said piston beinglongitudinally movable between said two end members; a longitudinallyextending working mandrel having its longitudinal axis aligned with thelongitudinal axis of said tubular member, said mandrel being connectedto said piston for longitudinal movement therewith, and having at leasta portion of its longitudinal length disposed in said working portion ofsaid tubular member; a die means having a longitudinally extendingbillet chamber, said die means having a longitudinal passagetherethrough to permit said working mandrel to enter into and passthrough said billet chamber to perform the metal working of the billet;means for supporting said die means in the working portion of saidtubular member so that the axis of said billet chamber and said passageare aligned with the axis of said tubular member; and supply means forsupplying fluid to said cylinder portion for moving said pistonlongitudinally within said cylinder portion of said tubular member. 2.Apparatus for metal working of a billet comprising: a longitudinallyextending hollow tubular member; a pair of axially spaced end memberstransversely supported in said tubular member to divide the interior ofsaid tubular member into a cylinder portion located between said two endmembers and a working portion; a piston in said cylinder portion of saidtubular member, said piston being longitudinally movable between saidtwo end members; a longitudinally extending working mandrel having itslongitudinal axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of said tubularmember, said mandrel being connected to said piston for longitudinalmovement therewith, and having at least a portion of its longitudinallength disposed in said working portion of said tubular member; a diemeans, including a longitudinally extending billet chamber, a chamberend member, and a billet centering member, supported in the workingportion of said tubular member, said die means having a longitudinalpassage therethrough to permit said working mandrel to enter into andpass through said billet chamber to perform the metal working of thebillet, said chamber end member being positioned in said longitudinalpassage adjacent the end of said billet chamber which is remote from theend through which said working mandrel enters and said chamber endmember being removable from said die means to allow for insertion of thebillet into said billet chamber through said end remote from said entryend of said working mandrel, and said billet centering member beingpositioned at the end of said chamber end member adjacent to said billetchamber for centering the billet in said billet chamber as said workingmandrel performs the metal working on the billet; means for supportingsaid die means in the working portion of said tubular member so that theaxis of said billet chamber and said longitudinal passage are alignedwith the axis of said tubular member, and said supporting meanscomprising means for retaining said chamber end member in positionwithin said longitudinal passage of said die means, said means forretaining comprising two diametrically opposed openings in the side wallof said tubular member adjacent the longitudinal position of saidchamber end member, a series of convolutions formed on laterallyopposite sides of the longitudinal surface of said chamber end member,and two support bodies retained in said openings in said tubular membereach of which has a series of convolutions on a portion thereofextending into the interior of said tubular member for mating engagementwith said series of convolutions on said chamber end member; and supplymeans for supplying fluid to said cylinder portion for moving saidpiston longitudinally within said cylinder portion of said tubularmember.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said portions of said endmember support bodies extend into said working portion of said tubularmember.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said plurality of openingsadjacent each of the longitudinal positions of said end members is two,each of said two openings being diametrically opposed to one another andcommunicating with said working portion of said tubular member; whereeach of said end member support bodies is a bar having a portion of itslength intermediate its two ends positioned in said openings; andwherein there is provided connecting means at each of said longitudinalpositions of said end members, each of said connecting means connectingtogether the ends of said bars positioned in said two diametricallyopposed openings to retain said bars therein.
 5. The apparatus of claim2 wherein said working mandrel has a piercing end face for piercing thebillet in said chamber and wherein said chamber end member has alongitudinal opening therethrough aligned with the longitudinal axis ofsaid billet chamber, the size of the opening being such as to permitpassage therethrough of said mandrel and to prevent passage therethroughof the billet.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said chamber endmember comprises a first outer member which has a longitudinal boretherethrough, the size of said bore being smaller than the size of theopening in said billet chamber; and a second inner-member which fitsinto the bore of said first member, said second inner-member having alongitudinal bore therethrough which is smaller than said bore of saidfirst outer member, said first and second members being individually andseparably removable from said die means.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2wherein said working mandrel is connected to said piston by alongitudinally extending piston rod having one end attached to saidpiston and having the other end extending through one of said endmembers into said working portion of said tubular member, said mandrelbeing attached to said other end of said piston rod.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 7 further including a pair of longitudinal extending pull rodspositioned in said working portion of said tubular member between saiddie means and the wall of said tubular member, each of said pull rodshaving one end attached to said piston rod and having the other endextending beyond said die means; and a cross member removably attachedto both of said other ends of said pull rods, said cross member beingengagable with a billet to force said billet into said billet chamberwhen said chamber end member is removed and said piston rod is moved ina direction away from said die means.